Anita and Todd in our hostal in Spain.
The hostal was on the 100th
floor (or so it seemed).
And here we are on the stairs.
Here I am writing in my journal in the hostal.
Here we are now in Bilbao, Spain. Home of the....
Guggenheim Museum. This building is unbelievable. From my journal:
|
Looking at this unusual and extraordinary building, as if it were a sculpture itself. Which it is -- sitting atop the earth. Train/cargo containers adjacent to the museum -- a grassy hill behind -- a freeway overpass that the building was built around. All laws of economics -- cost per square foot etc., broken to accomodate attract, house, the art contained within. One thing can certainly be said about the Guggenheim Museum is that the power the line is euphoric. Frank Gehry definitely knows how to bring out lines -- in such a manner that this structure -- it's mass, int's inanimate motionless mass, is actually deceiving you. Because... with every edge and curve and pane of glass with beams -- every moment you look around yourself -- there is motion. People moving behind large panes of glass and the cast shadows against the bright white interior. This place, this structure, has life inside it beyond the people here. This place, by nature of design and creation, breaths and moves light and life. |
The interior being just as
spectacular as the exterior. Here's Anita,
the gal whose luggage was
lost en-route to Bilbao.
And here she is later that night -- luggage and a smile.
That night, we headed out
late for a bite to eat. We could hear the beating of drums
and thought that there was
some sort of parade going on. Upon entering out into the
street, we were startled
to see a procession that made our stomachs drop.
See for yourself:
At first glance, we couldn't help but immediately see the KKK reference, however...
... then we saw a float with
the Virgin Mary traveling from behind. Being there at Easter,
we realized that this procession
must have some sort of religious implications.
Upon returning home and after
doing some research, the signifigance of this procession
was explained. Here is a
copy of an email that I sent to my friends upon my return describing
the event and it's signifigance:
Bilboa boasted the most elaborate,
passionate procession with an ornate
hand-carried float of Jesus
and the Virgin Mary, accompanied by somber
marching trumpets and throbbing
drums. The procession included
hooded penitents in their
white/black/lightblue-sheet robes and tall conical
hoods with eyeholes, barefoot
andbearing candles. The hoods come from a 15th century
tradition allowing people
to do penance for sins byparticipating in the processions
without being recognized
by friends and neighbors.
Bilbao is an incredibly charming
town with winding alleys,
cobblestone streets and
spooky corners. Here is Todd posing in one of them.
We left Bilbao and were off
to Barcelona. The first day there, after finding a hostal, we
headed to the MACBA museum.
There was a fabulous Spanish artist exhibiting named Susanna Solano.
This piece, constructed
in steel, depicts video footage of a pigeon in a small monitor, mounted
in a
steel structure. The bottom
piece of steel, beneath the footage of the pigeon, contains pigeon poop.
A simply wonderful piece.
Then we were off to the Aquarium. Where they had a 80 meter tunnel of glass...
... where you could see sharks and fish! It was cool!
At the end of the tunnel
o' glass, there was a photo booth. We couldn't
help ourselves. We were
on vacation. Give us a break!
The next day we found ourselves
at the Parc Guell to see Gaudi's famous work.
Here is Todd paying homage
to Anita's leg, she having just tripped and
twisted her ankle.
Here in the Parc Guell, you
can find the Teatro Griego, or more commonly
known as the hall of 100
columns. The figures you see in the distance are musicians.
We sat on the steps and
listened to them play Bach, Chopin, Beethoven, and more.
Here is Todd at Bar Almirall.
Here he could enjoy a glass of absinthe--
served in a glass, with
water and a cube of sugar. In the U.S. this drink is
illegal, but here in Spain
Todd could drink his drink as Van Gogh once did... in a bar.
Here is Todd dipping his toes in the Mediterranean (Todd's the taller one).
Here we are waiting for the
L95 to take us back to Barcelona after
a day at the beach. If we
were to ever form a band. This would be our album cover.
Whenever I see lavender, I think of Spain. It was everywhere, and beautiful.
We are now back in Madrid. This is a typical Madrid street.
Here we are all dolled up to go out to the bar.
Here we are in the Parque
Retiro. If this weren't the only picture, I would
have omitted it due to my
silly expression.
And of course I can't fail
to mention that in every city, in all the hostals,
when we were achy and tired,
it just wasn't a day unless we played
a good game of hearts.